The story of us
by troy1205
Summary: Bella made a promise and the day that she knew she was expecting Jacob's baby, Bella walked away from her soul mate, Edward Cullen.  Two years laters from that awful goodbye Bella and Edward's best friend came looking for her with really bad news.
1. Chapter 1

Wow, I am so nervous… this is my first attempt to write fan fiction and in English…. Wow….

Yeah after over thinking about this for more than 2 years I decided that I wanted to share my story. Yeah this story is based in real life experiences. Of course I used S.M. characters (I respect her with all my being, she is my hero) but the story line is my life.

Not everything is real since this story has an end and mine doesn't … yet… but I know that is coming so please be patient with me and I hope you enjoy the ride and give strength to keep going day by day.

I hope you enjoy it and you will let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading.

CHAPTER ONE," THE BEGINNING AND THE END"

"Angela, please hold all my calls, I am not here" Bella said to her assistance/friend as she walk into her office…

"But Bella.., Jacob call..." she started to say but abruptly stopped when she saw Bella's sad eyes … "Are you ok?" ….

Angela and Bella had been friends for years but when Bella got promoted she offered Angela the job as her assistance, Bella needed somebody she could trust and that was Angela. They knew everything about each other ….well almost everything… and that was the reason why they were a great team.

"Yes Angie, I'm fine… come with me, please'….Bella said as she open the door to her office…

Bella left the papers that she carried around all day on top of her desk and sat on her big brown designer chair, compliments of Mr. Brandon…the company owner and the father of her best friend, Alice, (after Bella got her promotion he made sure that Bella had the best chair in the company…why? nobody knew why and Bella never asked since she was a little scare of him but Bella believed it was 'cause of his obsession with the movie Scarface since all the VP received the same gift with their initials engraved on the back of their chairs…weird)

Bella…? Angie said … Bella, are you ok, I don't think you heard a word of what I said", she looked at Bella with 1000 questions on her eyes…"I'm fine, I just had a little difficult meeting with Production and I just need to think of my plan of action for the board meeting on Friday…that is all" Bella replied but she knew that Angela didn't buy it…

Ok, whatever you say" Angela answered knowing very well that Bella was lying but bless her heart she would never push her friend to talk, taking a deep breath , she started again", I said that Jacob called saying if you could please try to be home early to pick up Matt since he will be stocked at work for another operation, Patrick from Saks called to confirm the meeting for tomorrow with Mr. Brant and Maral called saying if you could please reply to her email in reference to Janine weeding…. Bella please tell me you are listening to me….." Angela said very frustrated with Bella lack of interest …

Yes Angie ,I heard you" please call Jacob and let him know that I will pick up Matt, call Patrick and confirm the appt and please put a reminder on my blackberry and calendar… ahhhh… and in reference to Maral…. I will take care of that…." Bella turned around looking at her computer and entering her password bringing the screen to life, and kept firing thing for Angela to do" now I also need you to please ask Megan to give me the budget for next year fashion show, I need Heather approvals for the trip to Italy and also I need you to please try to get a hold on John, also call Jose and confirm the shipment from Japan is right on schedule ….and if you could please hold all my calls for the next hour or so will be great, I really need to work on this project for Simon… that will be all, thanks" Bella said as she started searching for Maral's email about Janine weeding.

No problem boss", Angela said as she walked out of the office, closing the door behind her and leaving Bella alone with her thoughts….

Bella really tried to concentrate and work on Simon's project, she also tried to read the email that Maral carefully explained the plans for Janine Bachelorette party but her mind kept wondering to the past, and looking at the beautiful framed picture of Central Park next to her phone.

Today was exactly 2 years since Bella saw him for the last time, today was the last time she was held by his strong arms, today was the day that she decided was the end …

Bella was pregnant and she had promised God that if she could be a mother she would give everything away even if that meant saying goodbye to the love of her life….

Bella tried so hard to concentrate on work and leave those feeling aside. She really tried to concentrate on the screen in front of her ...She needed to shake those feelings away …she needed to remind herself that everything was worth it, that her pain was worth it.

Mathew was everything she ever wanted. Mathew was the reason why she walked away from her soul mate and decided to stay with her husband and even when she had silently suffer her lost for the last 2 years she would do it again, just because of Mathew.

But Bella never stopped loving him, every day she would wake up and as she laid in bed she would think about him, about how her life could have been if she were with him, she would pray God that he was ok and then she would get up and face the world again and again.

She made a choice and she needed to leave with the consecuences.

"remember, always remember", those were his parting words . Words that hunted her every day since that dreadful goodbye.

Bella walked to the window, looked at the sky and cried, cried for him, cried for wanting something that she could never have….

Bella was the CFO of one of the most well-known fashion company in the USA, London, Italy and Paris….

Brandon's Design was a company that started with only 2 employees, Alice, Bella's best friend and designer and her father Mr. Brandon, a financial geek who believed in his daughter dream… and today is the largest fashion company in the world…. They were very successful, very well known and very expensive…

Bella didn't like what she was hired to do and she didn't like the people working with her but she needed the money since the last company she was working for closed down and she was getting married in only a few month and … well she needed the money….

Bella was scared shitless of her boss Fernanda, she was a very intimidated petite Colombian woman who made herself up from almost nothing; and she was the main reason why Bella learned so much about accounting and how to manage any company….who would believe if 12 years ago Bella would have said…"I will be the CFO of a fashion company"….nobody...Bella was an animal lover who never wanted to do anything related to numbers, discounts and taxes, who loved science and leaving in peace with nature …but life had a different plan for her far away from what she always dreamt about …

Suddenly Bella heard a knock on the door and saw Angela walking in" Bella, I'm sorry to bother you but I have a phone call from a gentleman who said is an emergency, I tried to take a message but he wouldn't tell me so I hung up but he keeps calling and calling…." Angela said looking at Bella waiting for an answer…."Angela please just take a message, I need to finish with this…."

But Bella he said that is an emergency" Bella scoffed …"Angela , Jacob is at work, Mat is with my in-laws, my parents would only call my phone… so anything else is not important…" Bella said with a very rude tone… "But Bella…." "But nothing, I m not here Angela" Bella said with a very exasperated tone, took a deep breath to calm herself and said "for nobody…."

Ok, Angela said as she started to walk to the door, suddenly she turned around and said..."Bella, he said it was about life or death…" Bella wouldn't let Angela finish," Angela, please leave my office and I repeat I am not here for anybody" Bella was very annoyed, no with Angela, she was just doing her job but with the fact that she could not say no to this person who kept calling…

Angela walked out of the office again and Bella was left alone with her sorrow….

A few minutes later another knock…Angela, I said I am not available' Angela looked at me and said 'Bella he would not take a no as a answer, he keeps calling, he told me to tell you that his name is Emmet McCarty and he is…." Bella didn't let her finish "where is he? What line?" Bella yelled … When she didn't answer Bella shouted …" God Dam it Angela what line?" She looked at Bella with tears on hers eyes…"line 3 Bella',

Bella felt bad, she knew that it was not her fault and since her office door was open she could see that everybody had stopped their activities and were very interested on their conversation … Bella was a tuff boss but everybody loved her.

She took care of them and they cared about her …nobody had ever seen Bella screaming and yelling, especially at Angela. It was a rare show and nobody wanted to miss it.

Bella knew that she should care but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She felt like she was having an out-of body experienced…

She could feel her body shake with anticipation, her eyes were filled with tears but Bella tried to collect herself before picking up the phone and asking" Emmet, is he ok? "

Bella couldn't even recognize her voice she knew that Angela was still in the office watching her very carefully, she could feel her best friend stare on the back of her head but she could care less.

If Emmet was calling her it was because he didn't have good news and Bella knew this was not good she could feel it on her heart…."Emmett" she asked again

"Bella, I am downstairs, we need to talk, please tell the security guard to let me in … I don't have good news and I really would like to talk to you in person …." Emmet said, "Angela, what is the extension for the front door security? Her tone of my voice was too hard but she couldn't bring herself to be polite right now….

After telling the security guard to escort Emmett to her office and Bella walked over to the elevators…

When the elevator door opened Bella was crying, tears of fear ….she could feel everybody around looking at her, wondering what was wrong … they have never seen Bella crying or behaving this way….they always saw the ice queen, always professional and never showing emotions …always correct and sure of herself …Angela told them to shut up and then walk to where Bella was waiting for the elevator to reach the 27th floor…. It felt like forever…. But once the door opened…just a look at Emmett's face and Bella knew that whatever it was he needed to tell her was not good, not good at all…

Emmett opened his arms and Bella run to him hugging him tightly… he held her for a while and then he said… "Please, calm down, let's go to private place, we don't have enough time and I have a lot of things to tell you" he put her down, Bella tried to walk towards her office but her legs were shaking so hard, they felt like Jell-OO, so Emmet just hold tightly to her waist and pull her towards the office, following Angela.

Once they reached Bella's office, she told Angela that she was not to be disturbed and closed the office door, leaving me standing next to our best friends.

Emmet looked tired, with deep black bags underneath his eyes and his hair was a mess. Emmet was huge, people always were scared of him because he looked so intimidated but inside he was just like a Teddy bear…

"Bella please have a sit" he told her and then walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in her office …he stood there for a few minutes, if Bella was somebody else she would think that he was just enjoying the view, Bella's office was located in the heart of Times Square, you could see all the billboards on Broadway, the New York library and the Empire State Building, and if you stretched your eyes a little you could also see the Central Park, but she knew that Emmet wasn't looking at all of this mundane things he was trying to find the words and courage to tell her the reason why he came to see her…

"Bella, no matter for how long I think of a better way to say this I just can't find the right words so …. Bella… Edward is very sick, he is at the New York Presbyterian university hospital of Columbia, and the doctors can't do anything else …. ' He took a deep breath and said" and … Edward signed the no resuscitation papers a long time ago …."

Bella could not believe what he was saying…her Edward sick? How when, why didn't he tell her about this….

She had so many questions.

She had some many different emotions going through her body… she could feel the tears running through her cheeks and her hands were shaking… Emmet took a deep breath and faced her for the first time since he walked into her office… he held her hands and said "Bella, let's start from the beginning …." And the time stood still…..

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.

Thank you


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: "Green Eyes"

July 10 2005

"Deep Breath Bella, you can't screw up" I kept repeating myself. Today was my first day as the new customer service representative at Toscana Bank.

I had been working at the bank for the last 6 month, but I was temping, something that I liked at the beginning, the idea of having a new assignment every other month or even every week was appealing. It felt like I was doing a different job all the time and I got to meet new people, so I liked it but things changed 3 month ago and now I was in desperate need for a stable income….

My life had changed so much on the last few month that I still couldn't believe that I was dealing with all this situation without a simple tear … I was able to keep it together and I promised myself that I was not going to ask for help, I was going to do it on my own and I would not let people see me cry.

I will go through the divorce process; find a new place to call home and start all over again… that was the plan… so yeah I needed this job….

Deep Breath Bella, you can't screw up" I kept repeating, that was my mantra for the day…. I looked again at my watch and I saw that I was really early, like more than 45 minutes early, so I decide to sit at a bench in Union Square and wait until it was time for me to meet with HR.

I finally found a nice bench right across the street from the bank, I took off my jacket, covered my purse with it and took my shoes off trying to relax… but just like any other day, my thought were only about one thing and one thing only… my screw up life….

John and I've been married for almost 4 years.

I met John when I was 15 years old and he was 20… He was the son of my aunt closest friends and of course we were thrown together all the time… But our relationship changed when I turned 16.

He was working for a fashion company and he was sent to Brazil to check a few models and I was in Brazil during summer break with my best friends and her parents… He found out that I was staying three blocks away from his hotel and decided to take me out for dinner….and of course diner turned into a long walk in the beach, long talks and when I less expected John was kissing at sunrise in Rio of Janeiro…it was just magical… everything was perfect, he was perfect, the place was perfect, the kiss was amazing and I was in love… or at least that is what I thought.

After that day we became inseparable, we did the hole long distance relationship, the secrecy of always trying to see each other and sneaking around to see him… but our time changed from being a couple hanging out to being friends having a good time… when was the time when everything changed I can't really say but we both knew that our relationship was lacking.

John was distant and all the time busy so I thought that he was ready to dump me, I was much younger and I wasn't allowed to go to dance or night clubs, so we always argued about it, me because I was young and insecure and him because he needed to move forward in the relationship and share more things…

On Friday July 27 2000, John took me out for dinner to a very nice restaurant with the idea of talking about our future…. What I had never expected was that Friday night John would tell me that he got a big promotion at work and that he wanted to apologize for being so distant for the last 3 month and then very slowly he raised from his chair and bent in one knee and said "Bella, you are my best friend in the world, you are the person that I want to share my life with so please make me the happiest person in the world and marry me" …. Of course I said yes, so that is how I was engaged at the aged of 20 and marrying John Stanford, my best friend 7 months later.

Everything at the beginning was great, we moved in together, we were working together, since I was hired by his boss to take care of the distribution department and everything was just settled…

We were very good friends and I think we thought that the love that we shared for each other was enough to make our marriage work…We were safe with one another, we loved spending time together and we knew that we would never hurt each other… but soon enough he met somebody who blew his mind away and I was left behind with a very dark future…. I couldn't be mad at him, we knew that we loved each other but we were not in love and that was a big difference.

When he told me about his new partner I knew that his mind was made out and that he was happy so we decided that it was time to walk away from out little world of safeness and really look at the world in front of us….it was time to really put my heart out there and hope no to be hurt again because after 4 years of being with John I really thought I was in loved with him but of course time would show me that I was wrong….so wrong…

I couldn't denied that I was sad , yes I was, he was my first in everything, he was my best friend and I never felt so alone in my life.

So that is the reason why today I am accepting this job, that I really don't like, trying to prove the world that I am this secure and mature woman, married to the perfect husband and with a perfect life.

I always said… "Dress as a successful person and success will follow"…so that is exactly what I did.

I didn't want to start a new job and tell people I didn't know about my screw up love life…. I needed to win their trust and from the experience that I had working in big corporations like this, being a married women screamed "back away", so even when It hurt I put up my best poker face and talked about my husband and my perfect life.

One more deep breath put my shoes on, I stood up and smoothed my skirt and jacket, applied lipstick one more time, fixed my hair and walked into Toscana Bank Corporate Office front desk….

Today I was meeting with James Hunter, he was the human resource agent in charge of my hiring, but I just couldn't bring myself to relax around him, he crept me out, he had this way to talk like he was all that and everybody else was nothing compared to him… but what could I do… I couldn't choose who would be the person to hire me…so I just swallowed and walked into the elevator…

Once on the eleventh floor, I walked over the receptionist desk and I announced my name and the time of my meeting. She looked bored and very nasty then picked up the phone and said"Edward, your 10 o'clock is here" and hangs up not even waiting for an answer.

Hold on …she said Edward…I was suppose to meet up with James not with Edward…she called the wrong person … so I looked up to her and said "Excuse me but I heard you called Edward but my appointment is with James" she just looked at me like I had a monkey dancing on top of my head.

I knew that she was about to say something… nasty, I suppose by the look of her face but was stopped short when I heard somebody chuckle behind me , as I turned around I couldn't believe that somebody so handsome was standing just a few feet away from me …he was tall, muscular with a perfect smile and his hair oh my… that hair was a mess, pointing at different places at the same time but it looked so soft …instantly I wanted to run my hands through it and see if it felt so soft as it looked… but what caught my attention the most were his eyes, they were a weird shade of green, I felt I could get lost on them, they were just so full of life and secrets…

But my reverie was cut short when I heard the receptionist say " Yeah I know; but James is not right now so Edward will take care of your orientation, not that is none of your business but I know how to do my job…" I couldn't believe my ears, she was being so nasty, I never implied that she didn't know how to do her job and I actually thought of apologizing for correcting her but after that little show I was so upset that I believe my face was on fire… I could feel the anger grow inside of me and I was getting ready to explode when I heard Edward say "Jessica, I think I got it from here" and I was back in lala land again… oh my god, that voice sent chills all over my body it was so sensual and soft …. God I needed to stop eye fucking him, …so I took a deep breath trying to calm myself, "don't screw up Bella, you need this job " so I decided to be nice to this Jessica, said thank you and then faced Edward again.

I could tell by the look on her face that she was all hot for him and who could blame her… he was just absolutely perfect…

"Mrs. Stanford please follows me" he started to walk out of the reception area, I just followed him, and I couldn't find words… I tried to rationalize that he was just a handsome man and nothing else... I needed to be in control… "Come on Bella, he is cute but remembers he is your trainer and he knows that you are married"… "yeah but not a real marriage"… anyway it doesn't matter" as I kept arguing with myself I stared at his perfectly shaped butt… GOD I am such a pervert… I could only think how good he would look without clothes and I felt a blush cover all my body…. Who is this? This is not the always confident Bella, this is not the cool, and "I know it all" Bella. I was actually day dreaming about a guy who for sure would never look at me and of course I am sure he is married…."all the good one are either married or are gay" I could picture Maral saying that 2 week ago over wine and cheese watching our favorites movies.

He opens the door and we walked into a large room, a big table was situated on the middle on the conference room and papers where all scattered over the place…

"Please have a sit" he said, I just nodded and sat far away from him…

"Well, my name is Edward Cullen, I am in charge of your orientation and training, I am sure you will see me walking around the company all the time while I watch all the employees interact with each other….." he said but I just kept staring at him thinking in all the thing I would like him to train me…. I could see his mouth moving but my brain was too busy day dreaming instead of paying attention to what he was saying….

" Mrs. Stanford do you speak?: I heard Edward say and I knew at that moment that his beautiful smile and deep green eyes would haunt my dreams for ever….

I shacked my head trying to clear my brain from my Edward induce coma …

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five minutes passed and not a simple sound came from my mouth…

OH MY GOD I was making a fool of myself and he thought I was mute…comes on Bella say something interesting….

Something at all…

Anything...

I think I could hear crickets in my head….

"Of course I do, I was just…. (Thinking how great your butt looks) thinking about how nice is the receptionist…. Jessica, right? I said my voice low but with a hint of playfulness…

I heard him laugh and it was music to my ears…..please keep laughing…please….. He just laughed for a while and then he said:" Yeah, she is a nice girl but has some issues with new employees, especially if they are beautiful females" what the fuck… did he just call me beautiful? Don't think too much of it, I'm sure he said that to too many women on their first day at work to make them feel more at ease….

"Well, uhmmmm, thank you… but I have to admit that I really felt like letting her know a little of my mind back there but you spoke before I could actually understand why she was being so nasty …." I said laughing a little…

"oh my, I stopped a cat fight…. "He said laughing

I just couldn't take my eyes away from his mouth … GOD I was in love with this man that I just met not even 2 seconds ago….

He suddenly stopped laughing and just looked at me, I felt like he was staring right into my eyes and he could read all of my secrets…. I could feel my cheeks burning and I knew that he could see me blushing… but he didn't stop looking at me… I really don't know for how long we just looked at each other; maybe it was just a second, maybe more

I knew that it was wrong but I couldn't bring myself to stop looking at him, he suddenly stood up and walk towards the other end of the table, searching for a few papers and said "Ok, let's get back to business…. The quickest we finish the fastest you can go back to the reception area and tear her head off… "

Of course I couldn't but laugh at his comment… he had a great sense of humor and it was noticeable that he couldn't stand Jessica either.

Our meeting went by very fast, or maybe I thought it did, I really couldn't remember a word that he said... I was too entertained listening to his voice and staring at his lips.

I just couldn't believe that he was so perfect… he looked like a Hollywood start more than a trainer… how could you concentrate if he was the teacher?…uhmm in the other hand … that sounded nice…Teacher Cullen, I don't understand this subject could you please explained it to me again" wow Bella, what a dirty mind?… I could feel the wetness become more evident on my undies… I really needed to get laid and soon….

I was too lost in my own thought that I didn't even notice that Edward stopped talking and he was just standing right next to me until I felt his hand on my shoulder and said

" Bella… come for me"…

What? Did he just say that…? I shacked my head and said "excuse me?"…

He chuckled… "I know that you just didn't hear a word that I said, didn't you? He said rising his left eye-brow…

"of course, I did, you are explaining my insurance options" he laughed -"yeah of course I am explaining your options"- he said and he just looked at me strait on the eyes….

Hold on, is he flirting with me, what is he trying to tell me with those beautiful eyes? I think he will read my soul if he keeps looking at me like that…. I needed to look at something else to break the connection that I just felt...did he feel it too? Get a grip, he is absolutely beautiful and smart he would never even look at you twice.

Yeah he would never be interested in plain old Bella… Deep breathe and don't screw up" I repeated my mantra trying to erase all these ideas of Edward flirting with me…

Suddenly the door burst open and Jessica said" Eddie, your wife is in line 1, she said is very important" I could see Edward cringed at the nickname Eddie… but what really bothered me was that he was flirting with me and he was married … "Well Bella you are married too." My subconscious explained.

"Thank you Jessica and please don't ever call me Eddie, ok? He said with anger in his voice…"sure sure"; she said and left the room…

The atmosphere felt very heavy, suddenly the good mood and his smile banished from his face, and now he had a look of anger, sadness and something else that I couldn't read… he walked over to the phone that was located on the other side of the room, by the window….I tried to busy myself with the paperwork while trying to listen to his conversation…he was very brief and he sounded annoyed.. All what I could hear was "of course Tanya I got to go, see you later" and with that he hung up the phone…

He stood there for a few minutes staring at the phone, lost in his thoughts.

He then walked over to the table, sitting as far from me as possible and said" sorry for that, where were we? "He kept his eyes on the papers in front of him but when he finally looked at me, my breath was caught in place, his eyes were a darker shade of green than before, but what really bothered me was the sad look in them, they didn't have the same spark that I saw a few minutes ago, I didn't know why but this bothered me, I didn't want him to be sad, he should be happy at all time and even when I knew that it was not my place to ask I couldn't stop myself … I had to know…"Mr. Cullen, is everything ok, you look very sad and I don't what to be out of place but you look like something is bothering you? I am sorry if am talking to much I tend to that when I am nervous but I can feel …." Wow, stop there Bella, I said to myself... you are talking way too much…, but when he didn't answer I kept talking….

"I am sorry I didn't want to intrude I just don't like to see people sad…sorry", I said again and since he didn't say anything I decided that maybe he needed a moment of silence so I started to read the 401K forms

… He was quiet for a while like he was trying to think what was the best way to reply but nothing came out…he was just sitting here completely lost in his thoughts and staring at the wall behind me, he kept running his hands through his hair like his life depended on it and taking deep breaths…after what it felt like an eternity; He looked at me straight in the eyes and I felt like his eyes were trying to tell me something but I couldn't understand so I did what I thought it was best, changed the subject,… so I asked questions about the company, benefits, life insurance and my position and the training programs that I needed to complete before the end of the year, he answered all of my questions in a very professional tone and didn't look at me again, he would look at everything else in the room but he would not look at me again…

We finish the paperwork not after 12… I didn't even realized that we were in that room chatting for almost 4 hours...wow...time flies when you are having fun…even if it you are talking about health insurance and 401k... real fun subjects…

Edwards walked out the conference room, I could feel the heat of his body so close to mine….even through the layers of clothe that he and I had. .. I still could feel it... Wow… I kept thinking about his body and how he would look like without that grey suit…

We walked together without talking to the reception area and as we entered, I was welcomed by James, he came closer, held my hand and kiss my knuckles" Isabella, there you are, I am so sorry that I couldn't meet up with you this morning, but I hope that Cullen here treated you right..'James looked at Edward and then to me…"of course, Mr. Cullen was very informative, he has a very deep knowledge of health insurance and benefits" I said, taking my hand out of James hold and stepping away from him trying to put as much space as I could between me and him …. I turned around and saw Edward looking at James but his eyes were full of anger, the phrase "if looks could kill never made more sense to me than in that moment looking at Edwards staring daggers on James face …. My brain was trying to make sense of the event taking place in front of me…. why is he so upset with James? , is it because he kissed my hand? I tried to understand what was going on so I focused on Edwards eyes, why is he looking at me with those sad eyes? I really couldn't take that look anymore; I needed to get away from this place as soon as possible…

"Well, Gentleman, as much as I would like to stay here and talk all day, I have to go downstairs and start with my training…James" he beamed and then I turn to face Edwards "Mr. Cullen, nice to meet you and thank you for your help" I said and stretched out my hand but when our skin finally touched… electricity was flowing from our bodies.. I knew that he felted too, his eyes were wide and full of questions and I am sure that they matched mine but he recovered fast and said"the pleasure was all mine Mrs. Stanford"

I could still feel the warm breath and the sound of his voice saying my name... god it sounded so sexy coming out of his lips….

I kept daydreaming about Edwards Cullen all the way down to the first floor where I was met by Melanie, she pulled me to a side and said" First day! Ahhh I recognize those eyes…you met Edward, he is the hottest guy ever, isn't he? Did you look t his butt?

Wow, we knew each other for only a few month and now she in charge of training me on my customer service duties… and I loved her. She was so young and beautiful and a romantic and totally in love with Mr. Darcy…"Yes Mel, I met him; he was the one doing my orientation and yes he is very ….cute"… "OMG … I wish he was the one doing something else to me that my orientation "Mel said and we laughed together

I followed Melanie inside the teller area and tried to put away my feeling for Edwards I needed to concentrate and do my job… I will think about his beautiful eyes, disarming face and out of this world body later at home….

Thank you so much for those who are reading this story and for taking your time to send a few lines of encouragement. I really appreciate it.

I know that I have a lot of grammatical error but I am trying to get better. Hopefully you can forgive me.

I am trying to create a play list with all the songs that I listened while writing these chapters and also the songs that marked each moment of my life.

Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

_Present_

Emmett helped Bella back to the sofa and said "Bella, I may not have all the answers but I know that he wanted to protect you from the pain… the pain of seeing him suffering and deteriorating as the illness advanced. I know it is not right but he always thought about you and only you, every plan, every move everything he did was always thinking about what would make you happy. That is Edward and you know him….if he could he would build a crystal box and just keep you there where nothing bad could happen to you"-Emmett kept looking at his hands as if they could give him the answers to all of Bella's questions

" So what… I was supposed to hear that the love of my life died reading the announcements on the New York Times" Bella shouted….

In the last few minutes Bella went through every feeling a human being could feel; love, sadness, lost, useless and now anger….Bella was upset with Edward, upset with Emmet, upset with God but most of all she was u upset with herself.

Bella couldn't believe the he would do something like this... well yes she could but again... they always talked about everything. He always told her when he wasn't feeling good, every doctor appointment, everything...why didn't he tell her about this? Why?- "_because you walked away from him 2 years ago, because you were too concerned about yourself and left him dying alone"_ her subconscious answered and a cold feeling run through Bella's body…. She felt so cold… and so.. lost…

Emmett took a deep breath and then said "Bella, I was the first one to know, he called me the minute he was out of the doctor's office, he was devastated… he told me that he was in his office on Saturday morning and he felt lost, like he couldn't remember why he was there… and then he also mentioned that he was suffering from migraines all the time so he called the doctor and made an appointment for the following Wednesday…. "

Emmett was quite for a few minutes, waiting for Bella to say something but when she didn't, he kept talking " Bella, the week before his doctor appointment he asked me to come over to his office and As soon as I walked through the door he said "-I am getting a divorce, please start the paperwork", he finally had made his mind and was going to ask you to get a divorce, he couldn't take it anymore, he just wanted to be with you, he made all the arrangements for the two of you to spend a long weekend in Chicago, that Friday night he told Tanya the truth and moved out .He knew that he couldn't force you to divorce Jacob but he couldn't keep living with her… he just wanted to be happy and if that meant being only able to see you whenever you could then he would take that but he wanted to be free; he wanted Tanya to be happy with somebody who would love her but most of all he wanted to be with you ….He knew that he needed to talk to you alone, somewhere else where the 2 of you could enjoy each other company without worries, without any interruptions or fear... "

Bella kept shaking her head; this was all new information to her… Edward never told her that he was getting a divorce, he never told her about moving out…. Why? Bella had so many questions but at the same time she couldn't talk, she felt like her lips where sealed.

Bella didn't know for how long they were sitting there, in her office, Emmet lost in his own thought and Bella just staring ahead trying to wrap her mind around all the information that Emmet was telling her…

" Bella, do you remember that account that he was working on with Jose from the MacPeter's sales team for over 3 month?", Emmet asked, "Yes, the Rosemblums" Bella answered " He talked about it so much, he was so stressed out 'cause the salesperson didn't have a clue how to talk to a crowd and sale the package without freaking out" Bella added; Emmett nodded and said" He was in the middle of a training when he fainted, his P.A. called the ambulance and he was taking to the hospital, he was unconscious for 15 minutes and he couldn't remember who he was or what had happened for a couple of hours"

"Yes I remember that day, it was the day that you called me and I almost went crazy. If it wasn't for Alice I think I would have felt the meeting and taken the first flight back home…how could I forget that day…I kept calling him and he wouldn't answer his phone, his P.A. didn't answer either and I was just walking around the conference room like a mad cat… the meeting was over within 1 hour and I was at the airport a hour later…."

"But Emmett , that was 4 years ago, so you are telling me that he has been sick for 4 years and I didn't notice it? "Bella asked… she couldn't be so stupid not to notice that Edward was sick " -No, Bella, that day … what happened to him that day was one of the symptoms, the first time his body reacted to his sickness but he convinced the doctors that it was all because of stress and he was dismissed after a simple blood work ….they never thought about checking his ….," Emmet swallowed loudly and then continued " they just related the migraines with his lack of rest and the stress, the they thought that because he hit his head he was confused, reason why he couldn't remember his name or work or anything for that matter...but he didn't have any other symptoms and Edwards had always been a very healthy person, with an strict diet and regular physical activity…."

Emmett stood up and walked to the window …. Then he turned around and said" Bella, he was planning on telling you the day that you too met in Chicago, but he decided not to because…

"Because I told him that I was pregnant" Bella answered in a such a low voice that it sounded more like a whisper… and then cried again, for the lost time, for all this pain that she caused Edward without knowing, for walking away from him when he needed her… she was so blind that she didn't see that Edward was sick… how couldn't she notice that he was sick….

-"Yes…" Emmett said and then walked to the sofa where Bella was sitting and kneeled in front of her and just held her while she cried.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you. I know that I have a few new followers and I am very happy.

this chapter is short but i promise that the next one is a very long one and full of Edward and Bella, together...

please, if you can let me know what you think so far and if there is anything that you want to know in more details...

thank you again and have a great week!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 "friends, lovers, secrets and lies"

"I am way too early" Bella kept repeating to herself as she rode the elevator to the 11th floor. This was her first training class at the new corporate building and she didn't want to be late but now she was almost ½ hour early.

She wanted to blame her mother for always telling her to be on time but to be 100% honest the main reason why she was so early had a name and a face… beautiful face to more precise…. Edward Cullen"

Today was the first time Bella would see Edward after 6 months…. "Wow 6 months" Bella thought… and so many changes…

Bella finally moved alone. It wasn't a big place, just a studio apt. in the city of Hoboken, but… It was her place, her little escape from everything and she felt safe, it was HER home.

The first few weeks were very tough on her… she missed John a lot… but not John the husband she missed her friend.

But leaving alone had it advantages, she no longer had to worry about making dinner, or having to talk when she came home from a crappy day at work or having to entertain his family that usually were at their place every Tuesday… well you get the picture… Bella was happy to be alone, she finally got used to the idea of being on her own and she loved it.

"Have a nice day at work and have fun in class " read the text message that she just received from Jacob… and with a smile plastered on her face she replied to his thoughtful message

Bella met Jacob while she was working at a diner. A couple of month after Bella moved alone, she realized that if she wanted to save some money she needed to get another job, so she started to work as a hostess at the local diner…Bella worked long hours and the money wasn't that great, but it helped.

Jacob was a regular, he was tall, with dark brown hair and big deep brown eyes, he wasn't Bella type at all but there was something about him, Bella couldn't figure it out but people were instantly attached to Jacob, maybe it was his cool and relaxes charisma or his confidence as he walked in.

Jacob would frequent the diner every Sunday with 2 little girls, nobody at the diner knew if they were his kids or sister or cousin so Bella, being the outgoing person that she was made it her mission to find out…

little by little she gain the two little girls friendship and she discovered that they were cousins and that Jacob was a doctor going through his second year of residency … of course after Bella little discovery every single waitress at the dinner wanted to wait on them just to have the chance to flirt with Jacob… he was a gentleman, very smart, super nice… the perfect bachelor and of course he always left a very generous tip.

One Sunday night Bella found herself in a difficult situation… she was covering the late shift when a guy that had being asking Bella out decided to show up and made his job to take Bella to her house… of course Bella declined the offer, but he wouldn't leave and Bella was scared that he would follow her…

On her way back to the kitchen Bella noticed Jacob sitting at the counter ordering food to go… that was very weird... Jacob wasn't at the diner that Sunday morning and now he was there ordering food… so Bella approached him " well well well, it seems to be that if we don't see you early in the morning we see you late at night… do you have some kind of obsession with this place? Bella asked Jacob "well, my question is what you are doing here so late? Please don't tell that you have being here working since this morning, you are pulling over 10 hours shift… I think you have an obsession with money then" Jacob answered raising his left eyebrow… Bella of curse laughed and said" yeah I had to cover for Steve… he owns me big time, especially since now I have stalker #1 waiting for me over there" Bella answered looking to the table to her left so Jacob would know what was she talking about ….

The waiter came back with Jacob's food interrupting their conversation… Bella walked to the front desk and graved two menus and walked the couple that just walked in to the closest table….For some reason she didn't want Jacob to leave without saying good bye… She wasn't interested in him , yes he was cute, and smart, and funny and very nice but he was not her type and she wasn't sure if she was ready to start a relationship with anybody yet…her life was a mess.. "Yeah I was married but my husband left me for a guy but we are all great friends now… we are a happy family" that wasn't a conversation she was ready to have with anybody but there was something about Jacob that made her feel safe….

So when Jacob approached the cashier to pay for his order, Bella did something that she never thought capable of doing "Jacob, I am really sorry to ask you this, and I want you to know that I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't due to the circumstances but do you think you could walk me to my home, you see I am very worried that the stalker will follow me and I live alone and… "Jacob stops Bella's rambling putting a finger on her lips "Bella it will be my pleasure" Jacob said…" I will wait for you outside, so if he decides to follow you he will see you getting on my car... I am sure that will stop him from bothering you" Jacob said and walked out the dinner….

Bella wasn't sure why but all of the sudden she was very nervous and felt like if she could really like Jacob and that scared her…. But anyway she walked out and found Jacob standing next to a shiny black Mercedes… he looked so handsome, so powerful and so hot…

And the rest is history … they would go to the movies, or just for coffee or long walks, they became friends, Bella understood Jacob's long and weird hours and Jacob accepted Bella past's, with some difficulty at the beginning but finally he accepted John and his partner as part of their life….

"Bella" …. "Bella is that you?"… Bella was brought back from her flashback when she heard somebody calling her name… she knew that voice… she knew that Edwards was close to her but she couldn't bring herself to turn around… she was terrified….

Bella" how are you? I knew it was you?"Edward said with a smile that made Bella weak on the knees… "Hy…uhm hello Mr. Cullen" how are you? Bella answered, feeling hot and dizzy while looking at Edwards beautiful green eyes…

Oh, please Bella , Call me Edward and I am good… err " , Edward said , " I am going back to my office for a few minutes but you can go ahead and get yourself settle in the training room. "Edward looked at his watch and said" you are quite early but please go ahead and I will join in a few minutes"

Edward walked quickly inside the human resources office. He needed a few minutes to collect his thoughts… He knew she was going to be in his class but he never thought that she still had that power on him…

He thought that he was just infatuated with Bella, she is a beautiful woman after all but after seeing her there standing in front of him, wearing that tight black dress that hugged her body like a second skin, made him realized that his body had an special reaction to the sight of her…his body navigated towards her… it felt like there was some kind of force that made him get closer and closer to her…

He was in such a haze that he didn't realize that Joan was walking towards him and him almost collapse against her… Apologizing to Joan Edwards walked fast to his office and close the door leaning against it… he needed to pull himself together… how was he going to perform in front of her today… he couldn't make a fool of himself… not in front of her….

Bella in the other hand was taking deeps breath, trying to calm her nerves… she walked in a dazed inside the training room and sat on the first chair to the left, she wanted to be able to look at him but not be too obvious.

She was not sure how she was going to make it through the entire class, she had to show Edward how smart and professional she was she couldn't make a fool of herself …no in front of him….

The class was supper informative, besides the fact that she really learned a lot, she was just amazed at Edward, she felt so proud, to see him in his element, walk around the room being charm but always in control, joking around with the other attendees but also making sure that everybody understood that he was in charge.

She just couldn't denied to herself that she wanted Edward Cullen, he was just an impossible dream so she made it her mission to become more acquainted with him… she wanted to know the real Edward Cullen, as a professional and as a friend… she knew that he wouldn't never ever be interested in her… he was married to a beautiful woman and she was just plain old Bella but they could be friends.

After that first class Bella received an email from Edward he was clarifying the fact that the bank kept the garbage cans inside the closet of the training room for the simple reason that it was convenient… that was in reference to something that happened in the middle of the class and Bella made sure to tease Carlos the superintendent and also Edward since he was as surprised as her when they saw that Carlos pulled the giants garbage cans out of the closet located in side of the training room It was a very silly situation but funny enough to make everybody laugh...

After that first email, Edward and Bella emailed each other every day; spoke on the phone every morning and one phone call before leaving the office.

They became friends pretty fast, they were able to talk about everything and anything… until one day Edward ask Bella to meet him at a bar, after work.

Bella was very nervous, she had lied to Jacob about it, and she told him that she was going to meet up with the girls from work when in reality she was meeting Edward.

She dressed pretty casual, blue Capri pants and at t-shirt with white and blue stripes. She felt so underdressed when she saw Edward standing at the corner in his beautiful tailored black suit… it had thin lines and made him looks like a model that just stepped out of GQ magazine. But what really made her gasp was the beautiful smile that covered his face when he saw her…

He walked slowly toward her and gives a quick peck on her cheeks; Bella felt her blush cover her entire body and his just chuckle when he realized that he affected her as much as she did him.

They walked into this hidden sake bar and enjoyed each other's company. Bella had these nagging thoughts in her head about all this. It was so wrong but it felt so right… but they were just friends, right, two friends enjoying a drink and some food, there was nothing wrong with that.

They left that bar and decided to walk to 42 streets where Bella would catch her bus home back to Jacob and Edward would catch his train back to Tania.

Bella couldn't help but notice how easily they could talk about everything, laugh at each other and at the same time switch to very important subjects like Bella ex husband or Edward's relationship with his dad.

It was so hard to keep track of time when they were together, Bella was walking slower and slower and Edward didn't mind either… they both were avoiding the good bye, trying to delay it as much as possible…they both had danced around the subject about their feelings towards each other were more than coworkers or just friends… their connection was so strong that made Bella tear at the simple sight of the Port authority… why was this happening to her? Why was she so emotionally attached to this unavailable man? She couldn't destroy a family but why was she always the one suffering… and what about Jacob? All these thought were running wild in Bella's head that she didn't realized that Edwards was quite as well, lost in his own thoughts… so when Bella finally felt Edwards' hands on her shoulders and then his delicious lips on her, she couldn't stop…. She needed to have him… she needed to feel him… she deepened the kiss and buried her hand in his hair…

Edward moaned at the contact of her hands with his neck and pushed Bella against a wall… he knew this was very wrong… he was a married man and she was in a relationship… but the feeling of her body pressed between the wall and his chest make it so difficult to concentrate…she felt so right, like she was made for him …

He wanted to give her the world… but he wasn't sure if Bella was willing to wait for him… if she could wait for him to free himself from Tania. It was not going to be easy but if they were together he felt everything was possible…but he was brought back to reality when he felt Bella pushing against his chest and then saw the tears rolling down on Bella's face…

His heart broke…

He knew that Bella was regretting the kiss… he knew that he pushed her too much and he felt sick.

Bella was quiet for a few minutes…trying to understand her own emotions… how was possible that just a simple kiss could awake so many emotions in her? Something that not even John could do…

She looked around and realized that they were in the middle of the port authority, some people looking at them with an smile on their faces and other ones with a scowl on their foreheads… they were being judged and that is when it hit her… she had kissed a married man and that was very wrong….she couldn't and must not do it again…

But her resolve was broken when Edward placed his hand at each side of Bella cheeks and said "Bella please don't over think this, it just you and me" she wanted to believe him but she couldn't… so she did what she felt right… she said good bye and walked away, not looking back.

Edward stood there looking at her walking away from him… feeling his heart break with each step she took in the other direction but he knew that he pushed her too much and he cursed himself for doing it.

That night after taking a shower and pleasuring himself with thought of Bella, Edwards went to bed… he didn't want to be touched by Tania… he felt wrong for doing what he did but at the same time he came to terms with his feelings… yes he did love Tania, she was an amazing wife and a great friend but the passion and love that he felt for Bella was bigger than what he ever felt for anybody else… so he knew that he needed to let her call the shots… she needed to be in charge and he would have to deal with it… even if that meant to be back to being just simple co workers… some Bella was better than no Bella.

so that is how Bella and Edward started their short but passional story… they were in love with each other but they wouldn't act on it… never more than a few kisses or hugs… they would try to be together as much as they could without breaking the rules that Bella put up.. she needed to be in control even when she usually felt lost in Edward presence… just looking at him she would feel her body react like a magnet pushing her to get closer to him…

They covered their tracks pretty easily, they needed to be careful, not one at work could know about them and of course Tania and Jacob were completely ignorant of the situations.

Time to time they would mess up and either Bella or Edward would have to made up lies to cover another lie… they both felt terrible but that was their reality.

At least for now

I would like to apologies for taking so long to update, real life had been pretty hard on me lately.

I hope you like this chapter and again thank you so much for reading


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